


Drink A Beer

by chasethewind



Series: Dribbles and Drabbles [30]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-14
Updated: 2015-12-14
Packaged: 2018-05-06 17:30:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,999
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5425688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chasethewind/pseuds/chasethewind
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>So I'm gonna sit right here/On the edge of this pier/Watch the sunset disappear/And drink a beer... My take on what might have happened between 4x09 and 4x10. A conversation between Oliver and Thea.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Drink A Beer

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by Luke Bryan's "Drink A Beer"

"Did you find him?" His question was short and to the point, something she was grateful for. There was no need for any extra frills today. It had been one of the longest days of their lives, filled with anger and strife, heartbroken friends and ruthless paparazzi. No wonder he had skipped out so quickly. The stress had taken its toll on all of them at this point and they all needed to let off some steam.

After looking at the screen for no more than fifteen seconds, a little red dot popped it. "Yeah, he's at…" She paused for a moment to look up the exact address, "the end of Ocean Drive in front of Whiteside Marina. You do the driving, I'll do the talking."

"Let's go." The rushed out the door to the waiting car and were on the road within minutes.

It didn't take long to find him. Tracking his phone on the GPS program installed on all their devices, it was a simple click on the mainframe computer that put it on all their screens, a little red dot that blinked slowly indicating he hadn't moved from the spot in a while.

But why Whiteside Marina? Yes, it was less than a mile from the loft, but it made no sense. One would think Oliver Queen, being the Green Arrow and all, would have chosen a more out-of-the-way place to hide after everything that had happened to his fiancé. She wasn't going to question him, though. This was his time to grieve, to take a moment and let everything out on his own. She just wanted to make sure he wouldn't do anything stupid. He had a track record of doing stupid things when he wasn't in the right frame of mind.

He'd slipped past the crowds easily enough, hopping into a cab that took him back to the loft. From there, he'd started to walk aimlessly trying to clear his mind of the jumbled mess within. The walk led him to a place he was familiar with, a place he and Tommy used to go often when they were kids.

Whiteside Marina had always been one of their favorite hangout spots in their early 20's. They'd hit the pier, dragging a cooler full of beer with them every summer hoping to impress the girls. It never failed. Every night turned into a party. Those were the best times of their lives, sitting out on the edge of the ocean, enjoying a cold one as day turned into night.

But now only memories lingered. His best friend was gone, and now, so was the love of his life. And it was all his fault. That was one fact he would never get away from. His crusade to rid the city of all its evildoers had taken their lives, and there was nothing he could do to bring them back. His only consolation was that he'd made peace with Tommy and that the last thing Felicity heard him say was "I love you", but it still burned him up inside, wishing that he could take their places. He would give anything to take back all the things he'd done.

Oliver sighed as he strode down the weathered wooden pier until he reached its end. He'd bought a six pack and a bottle of wine from the convenience store across the street. The beer had always been Tommy's favorite and the wine Felicity's. Plopping down on the edge, he let his legs dangle above the crashing waves, his shoes having been discarded only moments ago, left haphazardly scattered behind him on the old, rickety planks.

Cracking open the first can, he took a sip and just stared out at the ocean. It had been a rough day, one he wanted to forget quickly, but pushing the images of Felicity's limp and bloody body dangling from his arms was something he could never forget. The memory was burned into his mind, a brand that would forever sear his heart anytime he thought about her. Tears streamed down his cheeks, and he wiped them away with the sleeve of his jacket.

Another gulp, another guilt trip, another painful memory ran through his mind. Why had he been so hell bent on exposing Darhk? He knew the man was dangerous. It was proved when he took not only Felicity, but Thea and Diggle as well, trapping them in that gas chamber as he helplessly watched it fill with toxins. But he should have known it wasn't the end after they'd escaped his compound. He should have known Darhk would continue to go after them, taking away all his reasons for living, starting with the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

The sting of regret was stronger now after he downed his first beer. He opened another can, the hiss of escaping carbon dioxide drowned out by another wave crashing into the pier beneath his feet. Oliver chugged this one, preferring to get a quick buzz instead of savoring the flavor on his tongue. It would only last a few hours, but those few hours would be much easier to handle drunk than sober.

At the edge of the ocean, the sun began to sink in the sky turning it shades of red and orange. They reminded Oliver of all the blood that had been spilled, all the death and destruction one madman had wrought on his city. He crushed the can in his palm, letting it fall to the weathered wooden slats beside him as he grabbed the third beer.

The car stopped in the marina parking lot, the engine dying as they hopped out. Sunset had come quickly that unseasonably warm winter evening, the sky painted in reds, golds, and oranges, colors that brought about mixed feelings in both of them.

She spotted him first as she squinted into the sunset, hazel eyes locking on the figure sitting at the edge of the pier, shoulders slumped forward as a half drunk six-pack and bottle of wine sat beside him. Motioning with her hand, she pointed, catching her partner's attention. They glanced at each other and nodded. He would stay there and wait for her as she kicked off her shoes and began walking along the worn and weathered wood that led to her brother.

"Ollie?" she hesitantly called, knowing his uncanny abilities to sense her presence before she announced herself. His body had gone rigid, but that didn't stop him from downing the beer in his hand. He chucked the empty bottle behind him and it skittered along the warm, wet wood until it stopped at her feet.

He didn't say a word as she approached, not even when she laid a hand on his shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze before she took a seat beside him. They both stared out at the ocean as the sun sank lower on the horizon. The reds and golds and oranges turned to shades of pink and purple while the waves crashed onto the shore below them. Neither of them said a word.

Thea reached over, taking her brother's hand and giving it a gentle squeeze in hopes of bringing him out of whatever headspace he was in. Then she glanced up to see the tears in his eyes and the way they continued to fall down his cheeks until the dripped off his chin and landed on his pants.

"It's going to be okay, Ollie," she whispered, squeezing his hand once more.

He crumbled then, his head rolling forward as the tears went from a steady stream to a torrent. The sob that ripped from his throat had his sister wrapping her arms around his shoulder and holding him close, letting him cry against her throat as she tried to comfort him the best she could. "This is my fault," he wept. "This is all my fault. I did this to her. She didn't deserve it. I should have been the one shot. It should have been me!"

"Ollie…" she cooed, stroking her hands up and down his back before forcing him to sit up and look at her. "This isn't your fault," she sternly added, holding his face in her hands as she wiped away the tears with her thumbs. "Damien Darhk is a psycho. He probably would have done this, no matter what. It could have been me in Felicity's place, or Diggle, or Laurel. He's out to hurt you in every way he can. The only way this ends is if you… if  _we_  stop him first."

"And how the hell are we supposed to do that?" Oliver grumbled. "You've seen how powerful he is."

"His 'magic' doesn't exactly work on me," Thea answered.

"What do you mean?"

"I've been meaning to tell you this for a while now," she replied before launching herself into the explanation of when Darhk had nearly captured and killed her only for his 'magic' to be rendered useless. "I don't know how it works. I've asked Malcolm to help me figure it out, and so far we haven't come up with any answers, but I think I might be the key to stopping him."

"No," Oliver growled. "Absolute not! I refuse to put you in anymore danger! I'm not going to lose anyone else!"

"Listen to me, Ollie!" Thea pleaded. "I'm not planning on doing this alone. You and the rest of the team will be with me. Besides, we still have to figure out what the hell is going on before we know how to use it against him."

With a sigh, his shoulders sagged once more, his head dropping until his chin touched his chest. So much was going on in his head that Thea's partial plan barely had room to fit inside it. He wanted to believe that his sister was the key to putting Damien Darhk down, but his thoughts were currently clouded with more pressing matters. "We'll talk more about it later," he mumbled, grabbing the bottle of wine and twisting off the top before handing it to her. Then he popped the top of the second to last beer and held it up.

"She's out of surgery, you know," Thea said after taking a sip. She nudged his shoulder and added, "You should probably put down that beer and get back to the hospital."

Oliver nodded, but instead of putting down his beer, he chugged it then threw the can behind him. He didn't know if he could go back there. His heart still ached after watching her flatline in the ER. He didn't know if he could deal with seeing it possibly happen again.

"What's wrong?" Thea asked, setting the wine bottle aside and turning to her brother.

He sat silently for a while, his eyes on the shimmering ocean waves below his feet. "It reminds me too much of what happened to you," he whispered, his voice cracking as more tears fell down his cheeks. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders, pulling him in for another hug.

"The doctor said she's stable and that they got the bullets out. She's going to make it, Ollie," Thea said. "Now go to her and make sure you're the first person she sees when she wakes up!" She shoved his shoulder, almost forcing him to fall off the edge of the pier from the sheer force, but he caught himself.

Oliver stood up and stared out at the ocean one last time as the sun's rays finally sank below the horizon, leaving the sky an inky purple. "Thea," he said, extending his hand to help her up as well. Once standing, he wrapped his arms around his sister and pulled her in for a long, warm hug. "Thank you," he whispered into her ear before letting her go.

"You're welcome," she quietly replied, staring up at him with a smile on her face. "Now, go. Don't keep Felicity waiting any longer."


End file.
